What in the Snoezelen is this? Multisensory controlled environment offered to the public: ECHO Society

By Quinn Fisher

The term ‘Snoezelen’ was first coined in the Netherlands by Jan Hulegge and Ad Verheul while working at the De Hartenberg Institute. There, they developed an approach using multisensory tools such as lights, sound, and physical stimuli to assist people with autism and other barriers people may face.

Whitecourt is very fortunate to have such a room available to the general public. For February, March, and April, people can try out the Snoezelen room for free. Otherwise, the cost of using the room is $7.50 per hour. People can reach ECHO (Empowering Citizens for Health and Opportunity) at 780-778-2660 to book an appointment. Typically, the length of time, up to an hour, is up to the person’s discretion.

Louise Meier, Executive Director for ECHO said, “The Snoezelen room is a sensory room like touch, feel, and visuals that can either stimulate or calm a person. Furthermore, a mix of menus is available. For example, soothing music with a ball pit to enter and the balls light up. For people with autism, sensory input is something they are very sensitive to and, often, they become nonverbal. The Snoezelen room is one tool that can be used as treatment.”  Snoezelen rooms are not very common, and our room is one of very few in Alberta.”

Meier ardently said the room is unique, “The Snoezelen room was originally developed for people with autism but now I think it has evolved into a multi-use room that sheds light on mental health and wellness. This is a room that can be used for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues in our world today. I also feel there’s no stigma attached to this room. People who have used this room come out and say they feel rejuvenated and generally feel better than they did going into the Snoezelen room. In today’s world of ‘fast and furious’ instant communication and gratification, we are constantly connected technologically speaking but disconnected humanly and not grounding ourselves. I think it makes such a difference when you can say ‘stop, world, I need to get off for a minute and reconnect again with myself’. When we continuously regurgitate negative thoughts and feelings, it’s like picking a scab repeatedly with no relief in sight.

Meier informed me that on March 4, the Whitecourt Chamber of Commerce is having a business networking panel and has invited her to talk about the Snoezelen room as an example of return on investments on mental health in business. Meier said the room is incredibly expensive to develop, upwards of $80,000 and a replacement value of $100,000. She said the reason it is so costly is because there is a low production rate of these rooms and there is limited availability for parts.

Additionally, Meier concluded, “I think that as an organization, we have invested in our employees, our clients, and our community. What is our return on that? I don’t know that it’s measurable because I can’t say an unequivocal percentage as there are other external factors that we can’t control such as people not going to their counsellor, for example. I can say, however, that 100 per cent of the people walking out of that room will tell you they felt better coming out than they did going in. As an experiment, I would like to have a blood pressure monitor and take people’s blood pressure prior to them going into the room and after their experience as a potential benchmark.”

During the interview, Meier let me explore the Snoezelen room and experience it firsthand. The experience was incredible. I felt like I entered a different world, one where all my troubles just disappeared. The soothing instrumental music played in the background as I sat in a suspended leaf chair. Glowing light shows flickered off the ceiling and walls. Meier said the experiences could be customized in what she called ‘menus.’ On the wall, there was a myriad of switches that controlled all aspects of the room. Time seemed to vanish, and I was surprised that 15 minutes had passed when we concluded our interview. I left feeling rejuvenated.